The Right Goodbye
by rayj829
Summary: A one-shot of an alternate ending to episode 4x22 "The Wrong Goodbye" with how I feel things should have happened after the Bar Mitzvah between Chuck, Blair and Louis.


_A/N: Like many CHAIR fans I was bummed with how things turned out at the end of episode 4x22 "The Wrong Goodbye" as it seemed like Blair was going to call off her engagement to Louis and be with Chuck - especially after their amazing time at that Bar Mitzvah! So, here's a one-shot of an alternate ending I've been plotting in my head for some time about how things could have gone differently at the end of that night._

Thrilling. Exciting. An adrenaline rush perhaps.

It had been quite the eventful evening and the night seemed like it was only going to get better.

Or so Chuck Bass had hoped.

Just hours earlier Blair had been MIA from the Constance and St. Jude's alumni reunion. He knew something was wrong when she hadn't shown as Queen B would never miss a chance to show off her prince to their former classmates. And then he got the cryptic phone call, leading him to the site of his new hotel where Russell Thorpe was holding her hostage to get to him. Thankfully, Russell's twisted plan was easily thwarted and Raina was making sure her father would be spending some quality time in jail after he admitted it was his fault her mother had died. Blair was still quite shaken up from the whole ordeal so Chuck had offered to take her for a drink before they made their return to Constance and St. Jude's. Which led to the Bar Mitzvah...

What an event!

Not only did the celebration help put Blair's nerves at ease but for the first time in awhile Chuck saw her shine. And in turn, it made him shine. She seemed like the happy Blair he once knew before things went to hell for them. And seeing her so happy, with him, made him happy as well. It was something about being in her presence – her light always seemed to bring out the best in him. Yet she had gotten herself engaged to that prince. Without her he felt empty.

So one could imagine his surprise when it was time to head back that it had been her who pulled him off to the side, into that private, empty room, and seduced him to once again make love with her. He could never deny her, no matter how hard he tried. She was the only woman he could ever truly love and the only woman he ever wanted to love.

They walked side by side out of the hotel and towards his limo.

"So...?" Chuck questioned, trying to get some idea of what she was going to do now. She was engaged to another man, but it was clear that she wanted him.

"I should find Louis and tell him it's over," she responded.

"If that's what you want..." He felt a sense of relief, she had made her choice.

"It's the right thing to do," she stated, not entirely sure what she was doing, or thinking for that matter.

"You really love him, don't you?" Chuck asked, he sensed a hint of unsureness in her voice.

"Yes. But not like I love you. Louis and I... it's different," she paused. "It's lighter, more simple. He makes me happy."

"And I don't?" Now he was really confused, what was she saying? Did she want to be with him or not? As much as they both love playing manipulative head games, he really was done when it came to playing games between them.

"What we have is a great love. It's complicated. Intense. All-consuming. No matter what we do and how much we fight, it'll always pull us in," she paused. "What's mere happiness in the face of all that, right?"

There was a hint of sadness in her voice as she said that and she almost immediately regretted saying it out loud as she knew Chuck would misinterpret it.

Sure it made sense, but she knew if they tried and moved on from the dark days of their past she could and would be happy with Chuck. Yes, their relationship had always been somewhat complicated, but the good always outweighed the bad. They had come so close in the days leading up to the Saints and Sinners ball. Even their week of hate sex was never really filled with hate – they both knew it was merely an excuse and a cover for their acts. She had acted stupidly after the ball, upset over Anne Archibald's rejection and jealous of Chuck's sudden PR success... she just needed space to clear her head. She never expected Louis to waltz back into her life and distract her so much. In the end though, she knew deep down that she would always choose what she had with Chuck over everything and wouldn't give that up for anything in the world. She knew simple meant boring and she hoped he understood that – their relationship was definitely anything but boring.

"So... I'm sure Louis has left the party by now - I'll have to tell him at the Consulate," she informed Chuck.

"Drop me off at Constance then - you can take the limo," he told her.

She nodded as he opened the door of the limo for her and she climbed in.

_So is this it then? This is really happening?_ Chuck thought to himself. He wanted nothing more than to be with her, but the choice was hers now. And she chose him, over the prince. He smiled to himself and then joined her in the limo.

**XOXOXOXOXO**

Chuck couldn't be happier. The whole ride over to Constance and St. Jude's they had discussed what would come next. She would tell Louis the engagement was off and then she would then join him at The Empire for the night so that they could immediately get to work at repairing their mess of a relationship. Blair knew he had intended to propose this time last year and she knew he would ask her again in a heartbeat, but they had some baggage that needed to be dealt with and forgiven before they could move forward and begin their happily ever after.

As Chuck walked into Constance and St Jude's he had a bounce in his step. He was looking for Nathaniel to tell him the news when he spied him – the prince – sitting there.

"You're still here," Chuck meant it as a question but it came out more like a statement.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Louis snapped.

Chuck couldn't stand this pompous, royal ass.

"The party's almost over," he pointed out.

"I know. But Blair hasn't arrived yet," Louis responded.

"How can you be sure she's coming?" Chuck had to admit, he was a bit surprised Louis had waited here all night.

"Because I know her. And just as important, I believe in her. I know she's scared, but she'll figure it out. And I'll be here when she does," Louis said, full of hope.

Just then, Blair came around the corner, with Chuck's coat in hand.

"You left your..." Blair started to say before she was interrupted by Louis.

"I knew you would come!" Louis beamed.

Blair was a bit startled and taken aback. She hadn't expected to still find Louis here and thought she had a little more time to figure out what exactly to say to him – bringing in Chuck's coat to him had been her way of stalling the inevitable.

"I'm sorry it took me so long..." she replied, handing Chuck his coat as she spoke to Louis.

Well, it was now or never.

"Louis, we need to talk."

"I see..."

"Louis..." Blair began, attempting to think of the best way to let him down easy without really having her words exactly planned out.

"Blair," Chuck interrupted her.

"No, I need to do this myself," she told him before turning back to Louis. "What I need to tell you is..."

"What she's trying to say is you have my blessing," Chuck declared.

He knew he would regret doing this for the rest of his life but he couldn't justify Blair passing up a chance at happiness and her ultimate fairytale just for his sake. He'd rather be miserable and alone for the rest of his life if it meant a lifetime of simplistic happiness and wedded bliss for her. He loved her that much. "I couldn't be more happy the two of you are getting married."

He reached out and shook Louis' hand in congratulations. He hated the man with all his heart and had nothing but jealousy for him. Some other man now had the only thing – the only person - he ever really loved and cared about.

As he turned to walk away he saw the look of confusion on Blair's face. He knew he would have to explain his actions to her eventually, if she didn't first realize on her own why he had done what he did. He really hoped she knew just how much he loved her and how much her happiness really did mean to him.

**XOXOXOXOXO**

Blair stood completely baffled in front of Louis, who was still her fiance.

Why did Chuck just do that? They had spent the entire ride over here discussing their plan for moving forward together and getting past the mess that they had both created in their relationship. She couldn't believe him. They were supposed to be in this together and this was not what they had decided. She needed to find him and figure out just what he was thinking.

Whether Chuck was ready to mend their relationship or not, she still knew she needed to do the right thing and break off her engagement with Louis. She would never love him – or anyone for that matter - the way she loved Chuck. What she had with Chuck was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love that could never be duplicated or replaced. No matter what they did, it was like they had a magnetic pull on each other – they always ended up back together. They would always be Blair and Chuck, Chuck and Blair. No matter what.

"Louis..." Blair turned to him.

"Yes, Blair?" Louis responded, hope and relief filled his voice. If only he knew what was coming next.

"I... I need to be honest with you," she said as she led him back over to the couch he had been waiting for her on. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"The reason I was so late tonight..." _where to begin_ she thought. "...well you see Russell Thorpe – the man Chuck's been having business problems with lately – tricked me into meeting Chuck at the site of his new hotel. I went because I wanted to talk to Chuck, to try and get some real closure on what we had."

Louis was listening intently, wondering where this conversation was heading.

Blair continued. "When I learned it was a trap, I called Chuck for help, as I still had him on speed-dial and knew that if I spoke vaguely he would understand where I was, what was happening and would make sure I made it out alive..."

Louis' expression started to change when it dawned on him that she had called her ex to come to her rescue instead of her fiance.

"Louis... I panicked! He had gas leaking and was going to blow up the building with me in it! I had to act quick and so I did," she could tell this wasn't going to end well but she made herself go on.

Now or never.

"Chuck, Nate and Russell's daughter Raina showed up and put an end to it all before anything major happened, however I was still shaken up from the whole ordeal so Chuck offered to take me to get a drink to calm my nerves before I came here..."

_How to put the next part_, she pondered. She really wished she had had more time to think about how to put this to him.

"...we ended up at a random Bar Mitzvah and one thing lead to another..."

"Get to the point, Blair," Louis snarled.

"I realized that when I'm with Chuck... he makes me feel a certain way. Sure, things can be a bit complicated between Chuck and I... but the way he makes me feel when we're together... I realized that I will never have with you – or anyone really – what I have with him. And it isn't fair for me to lie to you and continue lying to myself. What I have with Chuck... it's a crazy, but ultimately great love. And I'm sorry Louis, but I can't let that go." She also realized that as she spoke about her love for Chuck that she started to feel a sense of calmness and more at ease, like it was completely natural.

Louis noticed it too.

"Blair, as you speak of him, you're glowing. I've never seen you glow like that when you speak about me," Louis told her as he gently lifted her chin to face him.

Blair looked him in the eyes "Louis... I really am sorry, but I can't marry you – as much as I would love to be your princess, my heart belongs to another," she slid his engagement ring off her finger and placed it in his hand.

He held her hand in his, gently stroking her fingers with his. He knew all along that she would never love him the same way he knew she always loved that Chuck Bass. He had hoped she was over him when they got back together, but deep down he knew what he had known when she took off to stop to him from getting on that train back in Paris.

"I know Blair... I've known for awhile but had secretly hoped it wasn't true," he sadly told her.

"I hope you find someone someday who you will have your own great love with. That one person you know deep down that you just can't live without. I know you will," she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Goodbye, Louis."

She gave him one last gentle kiss goodbye before rising to her feet. She needed to find Chuck before he did something stupid.

**XOXOXOXOXO**

"Chuck!" Blair called after him as she quickly descended the great staircase. She found him gazing out one of the windows in the grand foyer. "Why did you do that!?"

He turned to see her coming towards him, slowing her pace as she approached him.

"Because of what you said earlier," he responded.

"About being happy?" She couldn't believe it – just as she had feared, he had misinterpreted her remark earlier. "Chuck, that's not the most important thing. People don't write sonnets about being compatible. Or novels about shared life goals and stimulating conversation. The great loves are the crazy ones. _L'amour fou_."

"Blair we're not living in Paris in the 20s," he reminded her.

"Well we both wish we were..."

"There's a difference between a great love and the right love. I left the Empire State Building last year after two minutes when you didn't show. Louis waited all night. This is your chance at happiness. You think you shouldn't want it 'cause you've never had it and it scares you. But you deserve your fairytale."

"We make our own fairytales, Chuck..."

"Only when we have to. And you don't..."

"I know I don't, Chuck!" She exclaimed. "And I know fairytale Princes and Princesses aren't real like we imagined them when we were children. And I also know that I don't want _THAT_ fairytale anymore..."

"But Blair..." Chuck protested.

"But nothing! The only fairytale I want is the one I have with you, Chuck Bass!" What else could she say to get it through to him that she had chosen him. And always would?

"I know what we have isn't perfect in the normal sense of the word, but the truth is I wouldn't trade it for anything," she proceeded to tell him, speaking a little more calmly now. She took a step towards him. "Only I get to choose who I love and who I want to be with – you don't get to decide that for me, Chuck."

"And what about your prince?" he inquired with a raised eyebrow, moving closer towards her. God, he loved her so much. And her smell was intoxicating to him.

"I told him the truth," she responded bluntly.

"Which is...?" Chuck proceeded to put his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. What she said next would determine everything.

"That my heart belongs to another – you. It always has, and always will. I know that I could never love anyone else as much as I love you." Her lips were mere inches away from his now. "Our love IS _the_ great love."

Chuck went in for the kiss, holding her tightly and passionately kissing her. He felt her arms tightly wrapped around his neck.

Just like her heart would always belong to him, his heart would only ever belong to her and no one else. She was it for him, there was never anyone else and he knew there never would be. As much as he wanted to keep kissing her, he had to pull away for a moment.

"Blair... I love you so much. All I ever want is for you to be happy..."

"And I am, Chuck. Because of you. Because of us," she gazed into his eyes. "I can't describe it, but I know you feel it too. You once said that I bring out the best in you – seeing you happy, it makes me happy. And I know we can get through anything together – including the mess in our past. I want us to work out and I know you do too." She wrapped her arms around him even tighter, not wanting to ever let go. Tears of happiness began to well in her eyes.

"I love you and only you, Chuck Bass," she whispered into his ear.

"And I love you, Waldorf," he whispered back.

They held each other for what was really only moments but seemed like a lifetime before coming untangled. Chuck blinked away the tears of happiness that were building up in his own eyes as he noticed a stray tear in Blair's eye that he gently wiped away. He was the luckiest man in the world – nothing and no one could make him more happier than she ever did. The fact that she chose him was almost too good to be true, he still couldn't believe it.

"Let's go home, Blair," he said as he reached his hand out to hers.

She looked him in the eyes, nodded with a smile and took his hand, letting him lead her down the stairs into the courtyard and out to their waiting limo.

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a comment or review and be sure to check out my other work!_


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